Artists Statement

Artists Statement

There are several sources of inspiration for my work. The natural world has always been a favourite subject. My regular walks in Isabella Plantation, a garden in Richmond Park with its woodland streams, water plants and florescent rhododendrons and azaleas, inspired the designs for the Isabella series of vases.

I never tire of portraying the female form, which I often use when I explore themes of romance, love, lust, and other human emotions and feelings through poetry and other written material. The poetry of Pablo Neruda has been a huge inspiration in this area. On the larger work the painting and poetry is sometimes carried to the inside of the pot.

Another favourite subject has been the use of simple abstract patterns, such as checks or stripes, a perfect way to indulge in my exploration of and play with colour. This developed from my habit of testing every new material in different ways and combinations on test tiles. Some of my test tiles are like mini abstract paintings, which act as inspiration for future work.

Clear, vivid colours, an integral feature of my work, were probably instilled into my psyche during my childhood growing up in the tropics. Colour has a powerful therapeutic action, which can have a healing and rebalancing effect for both the artist and the viewer. Every day we take in colour energy in various forms through the clothes we wear, from the colour schemes in our homes and offices, and even by the colour of the foods we eat. For example, blue has a calming influence, relieves inflammation and can be helpful for dealing with hypertension and insomnia. Orange is the colour of imagination, vital energy and optimism, which can stimulate the respiratory system and an under active thyroid gland. While yellow, the colour of the mind and intellect, can promote clear thinking, the ability to think on a philosophical level, and also stimulate the lymphatic system and intestinal tract.

It is possible that the colours I am attracted to use on any particular day are an emotional or psychological response related to how I am feeling at the time.

Although my medium is ceramics, my work has drawn more from painting. On some of the more complexly painted larger vases, I can use more than 40 different colours. Many of my pots are one offs. I could no more make large quantities of the same vase, than a painter would want to paint 50 or 100 similar paintings. Why repeat oneself when there is so much more to discover?

Current / Future Events

Current / Future Events

Current Work

Current Work

I make hand painted decorative and functional white earthenware
ceramics. Designs are either one-offs or produced in small editions,
and painted with abstract or figurative images, poetry and other
written material.

I accept private and corporate commissions. In 2007 I was commissioned
by SBFI (Specialised Banking Furniture International) to produce three
large vases. Two were for their newly refurbished show room, the third
was to be a corporate gift to their client Morgan Stanley for their UK
headquarters at 20 Bank Street, Canary Wharf.

Technical Information

Technical Information

Most of my work is at present made in moulds that I have designed, by casting with Limoges white earthenware casting slip. Some pieces are altered after removal from the mould. On some work, I paint with a combination of coloured slips, underglazes and glazes, using brushes, pens, pencils and chalks. A semi matt or glossy transparent glaze is sprayed on to finish. Other work may simply be decorated with brush on glazes.

Biscuit firing can be to cone 06-04, with the glaze firing to cone 03 (1075oC with one hours soak) in an electric kiln. Alternatively, depending on glazes used, other work is biscuit fired to cone 04 and glaze fired to cone 05. Some pots go through a third firing with additions of a little lustre or low temperature glaze.

Career Background

Career Background

Ingrid was born and grew up in Georgetown, Guyana.From 1970-74 she attended Hornsey College of Art and Brighton Polytechnic (now Brighton University), attaining a Diploma in Art and Design, equivalent to a BA degree. This led to a busy career for some 20 years as a freelance illustrator, with clients including Sainsburys, Marks and Spencer, IBM, The Natural History Museum, British Rail, National Rivers Authority, Time Life and Readers Digest.

From 1985, in spare time from her illustration practice and bringing up her young son, Ingrid began to develop skills with clay, studying under established figures in the pottery field, such as Jill Crowley, Caroline Wyman and Tessa Fuchs. She began to exhibit and sell her ceramics in 1994.

In 1998 Ingrid took a break from ceramics for five years to study and practise complementary health therapies. In 2003 she returned to ceramics, enrolling at South Thames College to refresh and further her skills. She achieved a BTEC Professional Development in Ceramics qualification a year later.

Ingrid set up her studio in November 2005, from where she spends every spare minute making pots. Much of her work has been sold privately to clients in the UK, Germany and USA.